Grab that mooring ball. This is a source of endless entertainment. I remember my wife as she solemnly walked to the bow of the boat. She had the “hooker upper pole” held tightly in her hand. She always referred to that little triangle patch at the bow of our monohull as the Bermuda Triangle. She claimed mysterious things happen when you are there and trying to grab that mooring ball. I’m sure many people can relate to that. Despite enjoying the multitude of humorous techniques of others, I have my own as well. One of my sons is a commercial airline pilot. One day he insisted on driving the boat up to the mooring ball. I hesitated until he said, “Dad, I drive a $100 million airplane. I can certainly drive up to this mooring ball.” After 3 attempts, he claimed the problem was not his driving but was instead the fact that my arms were not 20 feet long. I don’t know how many times I have seen a poor soul standing on the bow holding on to the boat hook with both arms and trying to pull a 30-ton sailboat close enough to thread that line as the skipper desperately tried to maneuver closer. Eventually it was a choice of a dislocated shoulder, drop the ball or drop the hook. There is a common theme with all attempts. There will be much shouting, arm waving and probably dropping overboard the boat hook. Well, we ran across a group that have focused an entire website on the humor of grabbing that ball. We have had two delightful conversations with them as they introduced their ball grabbers in training and the more advanced apprentices. If you would like a nice read, please check out their website at www.grabmyball.com. In particular read their crew profiles for a good chuckle. Meanwhile, don’t be embarrassed. It really might be the Bermuda Triangle.
